Have you ever driven by a house and thought that place could look great if someone would restore it? These may be houses that have been abandoned or houses with owners who do little or no maintenance to the property.
Well … sometimes we see mouths like that, too. Some people may feel like their teeth are just so far gone that there is nothing they can do to fix their problems. They have resigned themselves to a life with an unhealthy mouth.
At Beaumont Family Dentistry, we would hate for you or someone you love to feel like there is nothing they can do. We offer a number of restorative services. Just call any of our dentist offices in Lexington to learn more.
Today, however, we want to show you just how thorough restorative dental care can be. We want to discuss full-mouth reconstruction.
How Problems Start
Now, our preference as dentists is that our patients will keep all their teeth for their entire lives. We also know this is more rare than it should be in the United States.
An estimated 35 million Americans are missing at least one arch of teeth, according to the American College of Prosthodontists. And statistically, most Americans will lose at least one tooth during their lifetimes.
Here are two big reasons that people end up losing teeth:
- Smoking — From a dental perspective, there are no health benefits to smoking or using any other tobacco product. Tobacco damages your teeth. Tobacco damages your gums, and tobacco also makes it more difficult to treat gum disease (which we will get to in a moment).
Keep in mind, these problems are separate from the yellow stains on your teeth and your increased risk for oral cancer (which can cost you a lot more than your teeth), which are other possible consequences of using tobacco.
- Gum disease — If you want to know why dentists are so adamant about brushing and flossing your teeth, this is why. Gum disease is actually the leading cause of tooth loss in the United States.
Smoking increases your risk for gum disease, but smoking is just one of many risk factors that affect your likelihood of developing periodontal disease. If you don’t brush twice a day for two minutes each time and floss daily, you are creating opportunities for bacteria to build plaque and tartar. This is what causes gum disease.
If left untreated, gum disease can progress from gums that bleed easily into something that damages the bones that hold your teeth in place. When that happens, your teeth can feel loose and fall out.
While these are not causes of tooth loss, we want you to be aware that certain people are at higher risk of losing teeth than others, such as:
â—† Men, who are more likely to lose teeth than women
â—† People 35 and older
â—† People with diabetes (which may be linked to a higher risk for gum disease)
â—† People with high blood pressure
â—† People who do not receive professional dental care
Rebuilding Your Mouth
Let’s assume that you or someone you know has already lost multiple teeth, and your remaining teeth are not exactly in the best shape. What can you do to restore your smile and regain your ability to eat the foods that you love?
You can start by scheduling a free consultation at Beaumont Family Dentistry.
During your consultation, we will examine your mouth and take X-rays. We want to see what your teeth look like, and we want to understand the condition of your jaw bones.
We will take a close look at your gums as well.
After we’ve thoroughly checked out your mouth, we can discuss what options might be right for you.
One option could be implant-supported dentures. If you have enough bone density to support dental implants, we can place them strategically in your mouth. Those implants can then be used to hold a set of dentures in your mouth.
Believe it or not, this can give you back the appearance of a healthy smile, and it can allow you to bite and chew any food that you like to eat.
But what if your bone density has deteriorated too much to support implants? In that case, we may turn to mini implants. These are smaller than traditional implants, but they too can be used to support a set of dentures.
We Want To Help
Everyone at Beaumont Family Dentistry wants our patients to have the healthiest mouths possible. Knowing that we can perform a full-mouth reconstruction for a patient with no teeth should give you confidence that we can help you with any problem smaller than that, too.
Before you or someone you know can start restorative care, you first need to schedule a free consultation. Call one of our Lexington dentist offices or click on the name of an office near you to fill out our online form.